The hurricanes Katrina and Rita are gone, and rebuilding is under way, but the lingering after affects on the car market has not hit yet, according to industry experts.

With over half of a million vehicles designated as 'flood' vehicles, there is a tremendous possibility that the vehicle that you found on a car lot that seems 'just too good to be true' may be just that: A car or truck that was submerged in Louisiana or Mississippi, and now has a questionable electrical system that may cause unknown problems down the road, or be subject to premature body rot, or premature failure of the CV axles, U-joints, or ball joints due to the grease being contaminated with silt.

'Consumers need to be aware that these cars will be hitting the market,' said Chris Basso, a spokesperson for Carfax, a vehicle history tracking firm. 'They could pop up anywhere.'

Recently, swindlers tired to pawn off 14 flood-damaged cars at an auto auction in the Los Angeles, Carfax said.

To avoid buying one of these nightmares, it is a good idea to look carefully over a vehicle before you purchase. For example, look for caked on mud in the recesses of a car or truck where dirt sediment would not normally gather. Also, look for and dampness in the lowest points of the interior carpet, or standing water in the wheel well.

Lastly, get a good smell of the interior of a car you are looking at. A 'flood' car frequently will have a musty, moldy smell that all the chemicals and cleaners in the world will just not get out.

It is always good, of course, to get a Carfax report on any vehicle, whether it you suspect it has been in a flood or not.